Olympic success for Old Whitgiftian

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Old Whitgiftian is selected to represent Team GB at the Rio Olympic Games 2016.

Team GB announced today [8 June] the four modern pentathletes who have been selected for Rio 2016. Whitgift is delighted with the well-deserved inclusion of Old Whitgiftian, Joseph Choong, making his Olympic debut.

Choong, who left Whitgift in 2013, had already achieved the qualification standard with his 7th individual finish at the European Championships last year, but still had to confirm his place in the team. He gave strong performances in the 2016 season World Cups and major International competitions.

The 21-year-old commented on his selection for Team GB, “The Olympics has been a dream since I started the sport in Year 9 at school. When you start a sport and start doing well, you always keep looking at the next level and thinking bigger, and it doesn’t get any bigger than the Olympics. I watched London 2012 and that definitely motivated me to try and get to the next Games. It’s a big moment for me.”

Joseph was previously coached by Whitgift’s Head of Modern Pentathlon, Miss Laura Gomersall, who had this to say of the breaking news, “This is an incredible day and a milestone for Whitgift Pentathlon. In Modern Pentathlon, the Olympics are the pinnacle, so huge credit goes to Joe on reaching this level. It proves that the programme at Whitgift is effective in producing champions, and I hope that the next generation are excited to see what they can achieve. There has been a big support team along the way, so huge thanks go to all involved.”

Photo: Joseph Choong (pictured second on the right) meeting Whitgift School Patron, His Royal Highness The Duke of York, KG, on a visit to the School in 2011 (Photographer: Gemma Mount)